Why every industry Earth will inevitably be disrupted by a free and open source alternative
Now that we humans have established a global marketplace of applications that perform a massive array of social functions, the next obvious step is to optimize the nature/health/ethics of said apps. This optimization will either occur by the companies who made the proprietary apps releasing the code or by new companies who do the same job better and more openly. Either way, it is going to happen because desire for personal security and access to information are the very basis of human evolution.
The missing pieces to nearly all modern apps are: free and open source code (FOSS), encryption (privacy) and some sort of inherent reward system. Most are completely insecure (meaning you are most likely being spied on on some level by installing them) and they restrict access to source code, which stifles innovation by disallowing programmers of the world to help evolve it, and also means that the apps could easily have backdoors into your system and extract any data they want. There's no way to know because the code is secret and proprietary. In the world of dragnet surveillance and terrorism, the value of protecting your digital identity is skyrocketing. Adoption of these cyber-values is still in its early stages, but the rate of growth is faster than ever before in history.
Additionally we are seeing the emergence of a sharing economy with apps like Uber and airbnb which give people the opportunity to make money online whether through becoming a driver or renting out their place. Tools like adsense, YouTube partner program etc. allow publishers to make money on their content via ads. These are all steps in the right direction, but none are fully optimized. They all have privacy issues. The good news is that they all prove the societal desire to be independent and make a living online.
Everything from chat to media sharing and networking to VoiP to dating all have extremely stable and user friendly options on various app stores. They work, in the same way that a chunk of processed and pesticide ridden food gives you energy to make it through the morning. It works on a primitive level but is infecting your life. If you have never heard of organic food, you would be perfectly happy with Taco Bell for lunch, but once you understand and FEEL the implications of open source (organic) and encrypted apps, there's no going back. It's a matter of public health and safety. In the same way we see the food transparency and organic movement fighting for labels on food, we will see the same for labels on our apps.
To get more specific, it is my hypothesis that over time the hazard of proprietary apps will become so obvious and damning that the planet will migrate to functionality equivalent yet open and secure apps. Why wouldn't you? Even if you don't care too much about being spied on, would you really choose to be commoditized and arguably enslaved if you have the option to not be?
Google, Facebook and all the other giants of 21st century Internet will either transform or fall. The prediction is on the table.
Minds are here to create this new organic app market. We ourselves want to help co-create this alternative open source Internet.
Sources:
http://www.datamation.com/open-source/100-open-source-apps-to-replace-everyday-software-1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_free_and_open-source_iOS_applications
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_free_and_open-source_Android_applications
http://recode.net/2014/03/25/a-perfect-storm-moment-for-multibillion-dollar-open-source-companies/